Friday, April 23, 2010

Fiber Arts Friday - Earth Day Edition

This was my favorite sweater.  It had big holes in the sleeves.


I first noticed a little hole in the left elbow last fall.  I was disappointed, but love a well worn sweater.  So I kept wearing it.  In fact, I loved the sweater so much, that I wore it most of the winter. It was a comfy sweater for hanging out.  Perfect for lounging with a cup of tea after doing farm chores.

I thought about darning and patching but just didn't get to it.  So there I was with giant holes and a little idea...

Many of the yarnies I listen to recycle yarn.  They take the yarn from an old garment and give it new life.  So when I realized the holes had become too big to patch, I decided to disassemble my sweater and use the yarn to make socks.

My sweater was knit in sections and then sewn together.


I've only unravelled the cuffs so far.  I have three types of yarn as a result;

pieces that are long enough to wind into small balls,


teeny tiny pieces that could be stuffing, and


pieces that are somewhere in between.


I have a lot of unravelling left to do.  Then I need to find a set of sock needles and a pattern to try.  I would love recommendations for easy, first-timer sock patterns.

Remember to go find inspiration from the other Fiber Arts Friday Folks.

10 comments:

Dutch Hollow said...

I have a couple of sweaters that no longer have wearable life in them, I hadn't thought about recycling them. Can't wait to see the finished project.

WonderWhyGal said...

I never considered recycling my sweaters but now I will have to think about it. I look forward to your posts as you dismantle this sweater and give the yarn new life.

Thanks for sharing.

Kathryn Ray said...

Thank you guys. I hope it turns out as good as it is in my head.

Allison said...

Even though I have been knitting for a looooong time, I have never knit socks. You might try Ravelry for beginner patterns.

Alpaca Farmgirl said...

What a great idea! Lots of gals around here repurpose yarn from sweaters from thrift stores, then sell the new items they make on Etsy. Clever.

What a cool thing to do with a favorite sweater. You are such a cool girl - wish you lived next door, ya know? ;)

Kathryn Ray said...

Thanks Allison, I will look on Ravelry.

Katy - ditto. There's a place for sale around the corner from us, tho it's not nearly as big as the place you're selling. ;-)

Anonymous said...

Perfect Earth Day project! Would love to see the socks when your finished.

Teresa
http://teresasdesk.wordpress.com

AllyB said...

Find a copy of Cat Bordhi's Basic Sock and you can go anywhere from there. I have her book "Socks Soar on Two Circulars" and love that method. I've made many Cookie A patterns and they're all very good but a challenge for beginners. I've made about a dozen pair of socks now and have written up my own plain sock pattern. Charlene Schurch is another good source of sock know-how.

Kathryn Ray said...

AllyB - I will look for that book.

I love that you've written your own pattern.. How cool is that?!

Thanks

jenni said...

I can't wait to see what you make!!